condottiere
Americannoun
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condottieri
plural
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a leader of a private band of mercenary soldiers in Italy, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries.
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any mercenary; soldier of fortune.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of condottiere
1785–95; < Italian, equivalent to condott ( o ) (< Latin conductus hired man, past participle of condūcere to conduce; see conduct) + -iere < Latin -ārius -ary
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The condottiere was in other words a contractor or impresario, undertaking to do a certain piece of work for a certain price, and to furnish the requisite forces for the business in good working order.
From New Italian sketches by John Addington Symonds
The man still wore his mask, but at the first word which he uttered Brandilancia to his astonishment recognised the condottiere Radicofani.
From Romance of Roman Villas (The Renaissance) by Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Williams) Champney
Later we behold in him a papal nepot-prince in whom the Pope endeavored to embody all mundane power and honor; he made him his condottiere, his warder, his body-guard, and, finally, his worldly heir.
From Lucretia Borgia According to Original Documents and Correspondence of Her Day by Ferdinand Gregorovius
Is he not the famous Bianchetti, a condottiere employed by the people, as the condottieri once were by the kings and nobles?
From The Continental Monthly, Vol 6, No 5, November 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various
Adjoining the east porch is the Capella Colleoni, the mausoleum of Bartolommeo Colleoni the celebrated condottiere of the fifteenth century, whose equestrian statue in front of the church of SS.
From Cathedral Cities of Italy by William Wiehe Collins
Xenophon became in essence a mercenary lord, somewhat like the condottieri of Renaissance Italy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Like the humanist condottieri of 15th century Italy, they built themselves impregnable and magnificent castles.
From Time Magazine Archive
The chosen electors went about that serious task with all the noble intent and show of national interest of a group of condottieri.
From Time Magazine Archive
This man, as I said, having been named by the Syracusans commander of their armies, immediately realized that mercenary forces were useless, since their condottieri were men like our Italian condottieri.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
As a result, these condottieri have conducted Italy into slavery and disgrace.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
